What do an NPQH, EpiPen training and a talk on mental health have in common? Not that much, but they all get called “CPD”.

All teachers should be supported to, and be expected to, engage in professional learning. As Dylan Wiliam stated, “every teacher needs to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better”.

But we also need to think carefully about teachers’ career development. Rather than lumping the two together, we should think carefully about how we support teachers to develop and succeed in their current role and how individuals are developed and recognised in their careers.

We can’t afford not to pool and draw on teachers’ collective wisdom; the sector needs teachers to develop expertise and be recognised for it.

Here are five things to think about for career development for staff in schools.

It’s much more than just leadership and management

Teaching is so complex and there are many potential areas for development - subject knowledge, assessment, research engagement, special educational needs and disabilities, to name just a few. If career pathways offered in your school suggest that the only thing valued is management then it sends a powerful, negative signal about the importance of other expertise.

It’s bigger than any one institution

Size, budgets and time are going to be limiting factors in how you can practically support different career routes. But with opportunities such as the Chartered College of Teaching, or through schools working together across clusters, there are possibilities to develop and recognise different areas of expertise with influence across more than one school. We need to see a sector shift in how we recognise career pathways for teachers.

It needs dedicated time and resource in schools

Almost every school leader thinks that they’re good at “talent spotting”. But with our own biases, it can be so easy to pick only people you regularly see who are in your own image. Don’t miss out on developing an exceptional colleague because their team staffroom is based on the other side of the building from yours. Consider checking that:

• All staff know who they can approach to discuss their career development;
• There is allocated time for all staff to discuss it with their line manager; 
• Any vacancies are advertised clearly to all staff.

Consider all staff

This is an obvious but a common one. Remember all your staff. Career development is an important consideration for all your employees, whether they stand in front of children regularly or not. Job shadowing, clear line management, mentoring and collaboration with other schools can all support this. Try Unison’s SkillsForSchools website for career pathways for support staff.

Don’t be scared of it

Finally, one of the most common thing that comes up when discussing career development is the question: “What if I lose them to another school?” Well, we’d ask: “What if your school gets filled with frustrated, stuck staff who aren’t developing?” Make your school an environment where colleagues feel valued, where expertise is developed, grown and rewarded and your school and pupils will benefit - in fact, your school will get a reputation as a destination for the best people to go and grow.

Bridget Clay is Head of Programme (Leading Together) at Teach First. She tweets @bridget89ec

David Weston is the CEO of the Teacher Development Trust. He tweets @informed_edu 

This column is based on their book, Unleashing Great Teaching, published by Routledge.